Rochester Receives 18 Inches of Snow in One Week

The city’s official snowfall total Tuesday was 5.7 inches, smashing the previous record of 2 inches set in 1916. The city’s two-day storm total was just over 7 inches and that made this the 8th snowiest February on record with a monthly total of 17.6 inches - and all of that has fallen since last Tuesday. It also raised the seasonal total to over 51 inches. The city's snowiest February was 20.1 inches in 2007.

Strong winds Tuesday afternoon created blowing and drifting snow across SE Minnesota and that affected motorists. MnDOT issued a no travel advisory for the section of I-35 between Ellendale and the Iowa border Tuesday evening that was lifted early Wednesday. Driving conditions are still slick in Rochester and other cities and motorists are being advised to be careful, especially when approaching intersections.

There are no new winter storms on the short-term horizon but after a brief warm-up Thursday, cold weather is expected to settle in through next week with high temps about 10 degrees below average.